We’re pleased to welcome BJ Lawson to the pages of the Downsizer-Dispatch as a Commentator.

Here’s BJ’s first call to action . . .

Your success promoting the Audit the Fed bills has scared the banking cartel into offering a fake alternative, the so-called Federal Reserve Accountability Act (S 1803).

Please send Congress a letter opposing S 1803, and favoring the real Audit the Fed bill, S 604.

You can use my letter to Congress as a guide to your own . . .

I want my Senators to oppose S 1803, and support S 604 instead. I also want my House Rep. to reject any attempt to foster a bill similar to S 1803 in that chamber.

S 604 would perform a real audit of the Federal Reserve, but S 1803, the so-called Federal Reserve Accountability Act, would actually help the Fed avoid accountability! It would . . .

* Severely limit the scope of any audit,
* Set unreasonable time-frames that will delay or postpone certain audits indefinitely,
* Permit some audits to be performed only one year after a program has been terminated.

Give me a break!

It should be perfectly obvious to any reasonable person that active Federal Reserve programs need the most accountability. And what about programs that are never terminated? Focusing audits on terminated programs is like closing the proverbial barn door after the cow is gone, while giving on-going programs a permanent pass.

Frankly, it seems to me that S 1803 is a fraud designed to preserve the status quo while fooling some Americans into thinking you’ve enacted a real reform. Where did this idea come from anyway? The banking lobby?

You politicians constantly claim that citizens who aren’t doing anything wrong have nothing to fear from their government. Well, if the Federal Reserve isn’t doing anything wrong then it too has nothing to fear. S 1803 actually enhances my suspicion that the Federal Reserve is probably doing lots of bad things!

The cure for this is transparency.

The self-serving political claim that Federal Reserve transparency would disrupt the financial markets is simply wrong. Financial markets require honesty and transparency for the efficient allocation of capital, and for systemic stability. The lack of transparency for Federal Reserve actions is actually the source of market disruption, and creates constant chaos in our international financial relationships.

Please audit the Fed! And make sure it’s a real audit, not a fake one.

Believe me, I’m paying close attention to how you represent me.

END OF SAMPLE LETTER

You can send your letter to Congress using the DownsizeDC.org Educate the Powerful System.

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Dr. William (B.J.) Lawson
Commentator
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

D o w n s i z e r – D i s p a t c h
is the official email list of DownsizeDC.org, Inc. & Downsize DC Foundation

We rated Lawson on the Paul-O-Meter (in which we compared his policies and voting record to those of Ron Paul) and weren’t too surprised that he scored a 91 out of a possible 99 points (thus cementing his “Ron Paul Jr.” nickname).

Ron Paul himself has even campaigned for him and remarked on Lawson’s nickname by saying:

A lot of folks have begun calling B.J. Lawson the next Ron Paul. The comparison is very flattering. . . for me.

In the election BJ garnered 37% of the vote, which is quite a feat considering his district (4th) in North Carolina is strongly Democratic.

And according to the local press, BJ Lawson is planning to give it another shot.  He’ll be opposing Rep. David Price next fall.  Expect an announcement on his web site (www.lawsonforcongress.com) some time next week.

In the meantime, for more information, take a look at our interviews with BJ last year: Part 1 |Part 2 and then get ready for another money bomb.

Lawson is able to get the word out about his website and win Glenn Beck and his audience over by letting everyone know he stands up for the Second Amendment and continues to hand out pocket Constitutions while campaigning. Lawson has David Price (his long time incumbent opponent) running scared. I am not the only liberty lover pulling for a Lawson victory on Tuesday. Listen to Lawson on Glenn Beck below.

Download audio file (lawson-beck-10312008.mp3)

Below you will discover the Liberty Maven rankings for BJ Lawson on the Paul-O-Meter, where candidates and current lawmakers can be rated on how closely they are in line with Dr. Ron Paul on the issues. To learn about the Paul-O-Meter methodology please see this article. You may also assign your own rankings or request a candidate be added to the system.

Continue reading to see if BJ Lawson truly deserves the moniker “Ron Paul Jr.”

1. Liberty-based Voting Record – Lawson does not have a voting record; therefore per guidelines the score is a 3. Score: 3
2. The Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy – Lawson supports instituting competing currencies, and badmouths the Federal Reserve any chance he gets. He doesn’t advocate abolishing it, like Ron Paul, but does advocate more transparency and accountability. Score: 4
3. Foreign Policy and Iraq – Lawson is a non-interventionist and advocates a safe and immediate withdrawal from Iraq.  Score: 5
4. Taxes – Supports efforts to transition to a point when income taxes are unnecessary. Supports some flavor of consumption tax, but has concerns about the Fair Tax. Score: 4
5. Government Spending – Lawson supports a balanced budget amendment and ending deficit spending. Score: 5
6. Privacy and Civil Liberties – Lawson says “no thanks” to the Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act, Real ID, and FISA just like Ron Paul. Score: 5
7. Immigration – Lawson is against amnesty for illegal aliens and points out that we need to end the welfare/economic incentives that encourage illegal immigration. Score: 5
8. Gun Control and Second Amendment – Lawson is very close to Ron Paul here. He supports the 2nd Amendment and concealed carry laws, but is not completely explicit on ancillary gun control issues like trigger locks, background checks, and waiting periods. Score: 4
9. Internet Regulation – Lawson does not support federally regulating Internet gambling. Lawson has stated that he supports Net Neutrality which is not something Ron Paul supports because he views it as more regulation. Score: 2
10. Adherence To The Constitution – Lawson calls the Constitution the “rule book” for our country. Score: 5
11. Religion vs. Public Policy – Lawson rarely, if ever, invokes religion in his rhetoric and policy positions. Score: 5
12. Environment – Lawson advocates utilizing the court system and property rights as a defense for the environment just like Ron Paul. However, he also favors a Carbon tax which Ron Paul does not support. Score: 4
13. Energy Policy – Lawson supports drilling wherever necessary and also recognizes that it isn’t the only solution. He does not speak out against Nuclear power and suggests we use all means to obtain more energy. Score: 5
14. U.S. Sovereignty – Lawson does not seem to ever mention the NAU, but does mention protecting U.S. sovereignty. That is not good enough to score points though due to the stringent guidelines for this item. UPDATE: We received word from the Lawson campaign that he is 100% opposed to the NAU, therefore we update his score. Score:5
15. War On Drugs – Lawson advocates ending the war on drugs, leaving drug regulation to the states, and pardoning non-violent drug offenders just like Paul. Score: 5
16. Education – Lawson advocates getting rid of the Department of Education and advocates more choice and home schooling. Score: 5
17. Welfare Programs – Lawson advocates gracefully reducing welfare programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. He also advocates ending corporate welfare. Score: 5
18. Abortion – Lawson is pro-life and will leave the decision of legalizing or prohibiting abortion to the states per the Constitution. Score: 5
19. Health Care – Lawson is a Ron Paul twin on health care. He is against any nationalized plan and advocates free market approaches and returning medical decisions back to doctors and patients rather than health insurance companies. Score: 5
20. Ability To Spread The Liberty Message – Lawson hands out pocket Constitutions during his campaign events. He is a very visible candidate campaigning throughout his district in North Carolina. There is no questioning his dedication to the liberty message. Score: 5

William “BJ” Lawson’s final Paul-O-Meter Score: 91 out of 99 possible points.

It is hardly surprising that Lawson achieved such a high score. It is certainly safe to say that BJ Lawson can be honestly called “Ron Paul Jr.”. There were a handful of issues where Lawson could score higher, but the information was either not out there or was too difficult to find. NOTE: We have updated Lawson’s score by +5 (giving him a 91 instead of an 86) because his campaign has informed us that he is 100% against the NAU.

Lawson is a Ron Paul supporter’s best bet to get a liberty-loving Constitutionalist into Congress. We should all pretend we live within Lawson’s district and do everything in our power to help get him elected.

If you disagree with our ratings or would like to rate other candidates and lawmakers feel free to do so on the Paul-O-Meter site. All current representatives (both Senate and House) are in the system, as well as many user-submitted candidates running for office throughout America. Each candidate now also has their very own Paul-O-Meter rating page that can be linked to from all around the web.

Friends,

During my presidential campaign, we set records and shocked the political establishment with “Money Bombs.” Individuals came together and pooled their contributions, large and small, to make a huge splash on one day. And, boy, did the Washington fat cats take notice!

Today, I am asking you to do the same for my friend B.J. Lawson. Will you make a contribution at www.lawsonforcongress.com?

I need B.J. in Congress with me to stand up for liberty and limited government, and against the Patriot Act and Wall Street bailouts.

B.J. Lawson is a terrific candidate, and will make a wonderful Congressman. But he needs your help, and time is urgent. Today marks the four week countdown to November’s election. The Lawson campaign needs money today to buy radio ads, TV commercials and mail to undecided voters. If we band together today, we can send B.J. Lawson to Congress.

Your generous contribution made at www.lawsonforcongress.com would be a tremendous gift for the cause of Liberty. Can you help today?

In Liberty,

Ron Paul

You can contribute here.

Today, Ron Paul sent out a message supporting B.J. Lawson’s campaign:

Dear Friend,

A lot of folks have begun calling B.J. Lawson the next Ron Paul. The comparison is very flattering. . . for me.

For those who are not yet familiar, B.J. Lawson is a wonderful young candidate running for Congress in North Carolina’s Fourth Congressional District. B.J. is a medical doctor, family man, Constitutionalist and a fierce defender of individual freedom. We need B.J. Lawson in Congress to stand beside me in the fight for liberty, and against the corporate socialism that has overtaken our economy!

B.J. is running against an entrenched big government liberal who voted for the $700 billion taxpayer bailout of Wall Street and has a long history of voting for huge spending, raiding your social security trust fund for pet projects, and even voted for the Patriot Act.

A recent poll shows B.J. Lawson within striking distance in this election, but he needs your help!

B.J. needs $250,000, right away, to run the campaign he needs to take this race right down the the wire. I know that if we band together, we can help him get the money he needs.

I am asking you, as a fellow Defender of Liberty, to mark the four week countdown to this November’s election and join with me and donate to B.J. Lawson’s campaign this Tuesday, October 7th. I know times are tough, but that is all the more reason why we need to send a message and help B.J. Lawson.

Contributions can be made at http://www.lawsonforcongress.com

This one-day “Money Bomb” could be what it takes to propel the next Ron Paul into Congress. I hope you will join me to support B.J. Lawson with your on-line contribution this Tuesday, October 7^th.

Sincerely,

Ron Paul

Please consider supporing B.J. Lawson if you can.  The more liberty-minded politicians we elect to Congress, the better off we’ll all be.

In any case, William “B.J.” Lawson needs our support. Check out his comparison page with Democratic incumbent David Price and see if you can find $17.87 (or more) laying around under your couch cushions and send it to Lawson’s campaign on September 17th, 2008.

The day is Constitution Day, but it may as well be B.J. Lawson’s birthday since he vows to always consider the Constitution when voting for (or against) legislation once he takes office. That sounds familiar.

All of the hype surrounding the Presidential election these days makes us lose sight of the all too important Congressional races where Ron Paul Republicans are still out there fighting for liberty. B.J. Lawson is one of the good guys.

We strongly but respectfully request your participation in the latest money bomb for Lawson this Wednesday September 17th, 2008.

Pledge at LawsonLibertyFund.com and don’t forget to donate on Wednesday.

Lawson has been called “Ron Paul Jr.” and has been enthusiastically endorsed by Ron Paul himself. Lawson faces an uphill battle in his largely Democratic district, but he is charismatic and is not your average Republican. We encourage all Liberty Maven readers to donate to his campaign. As you will see in this interview segment and the last one, B.J. Lawson is uncompromisingly dedicated to individual liberty and the U.S. Constitution.

Read the first part of Lawson’s interview here or read on for the second part.

LM: In recent political history there has been much debate about term limits for Congressmen yet not much has been done about it. What is your view on congressional term limits?

Lawson: I do not believe term limits are a panacea — they will limit the terms of good, principled representatives just as surely as they will limit corrupt and incompetent ones. Ultimately, voters need to enforce term limits.

The description from the Straw Poll website:

Our purpose is to raise awareness and funding for liberty minded political candidates through the use of straw polls within the online community.

Our straw polls are centered around an internet broadcast where select candidates each get an equal turn to speak in order to compete for straw poll votes from those who made a donation to our sponsor PAC in exchange for a straw poll voting ticket. Voting takes place online and will conclude after all the candidates had their turn to speak, then the results are published. The winner(s) of the straw poll will then receive the value of the straw poll ticket revenue in campaign support. The broadcast will be available from any one of our media partners.

Tickets are $10 each. Buy one or more today.

We fully and officially support and endorse BJ Lawson For Congress in North Carolina’s 4th District. We urge you to dig into your purses and wallets and find a way to donate money to his campaign today. No amount is too small or too large… well thanks to McCain there is an amount too large, but you get the point. Donate for the Constitution. Donate for liberty because “liberty is priceless”.

Donate here or click the image above.

If you haven’t heard of B.J. Lawson until now and you are a lover of liberty you are in for a treat. If we could cast a spell on every single person in the country to donate and help out with Lawson’s campaign we’d do it. In that vein please enjoy the first interview segment below and then head over to LawsonLibertyFund.com and pledge $5 or $300 to help out with his Ron Paul style money bomb on June 29th.

LM: What was your motivation for running for Congress? You are facing an incumbent Democrat David Price in an overly Democratic district; however back in 1994 a Republican unseated Price thanks to the “Contract With America” effort at that time. Does that previous defeat of Price give you hope for victory over him this time around?

Lawson: My motivation running for Congress is to advance a Constitutional federal government, and to question the “politics as usual” that is bankrupting our country and eviscerating our freedoms. Today’s political process is simply broken: we have legislators who don’t read bills before they vote, we have Congress delegating rule making to unelected bureaucrats and lobbyists, we have legislators piling special favors into legislation that is deemed likely to pass, and few even question if proposed legislation is the Constitutional role of the federal government. These are symptoms of a political process that no longer represents the people.

While Price was defeated once with the 1994 Republican landslide, this year’s environment is much different. The Republican party is adrift, and lacks a clear platform after the past eight years. Furthermore, our district is a strongly Democratic. However, the vast majority of voters know we need change — and David Price, as a 22 year incumbent, personifies the status quo.

It’s not so much his 1994 defeat that gives me hope for victory, but more what he’s done since his 1996 re-entry into Congress: not much. Rep. Price is an Establishment candidate whose voting record reflects the party line, and shows little leadership or concern for the critical questions facing our nation: out of control inflation, unsustainable government spending and entitlements, declining civil liberties, and failed interventionism abroad.

The voters are demanding change, and this year they have a choice for principled leadership advocating a Constitutional federal government.

LM: Who is your favorite founding father and why?

Lawson: I try not to put anyone on a pedestal, as everyone has weaknesses and shortcomings. However, on the balance I consider Thomas Jefferson and Abigail Adams to be my favorite founding father and mother. Jefferson’s articulate expression of individual liberty in our Declaration of Independence provided the philosophical ideals for our nation that we are still struggling to achieve. Abigail Adams was a staunch opponent of slavery and advocate for women’s rights, and along with John Adams communicated the danger we faced by not rejecting slavery outright at our nation’s birth.

LM: Recently there’s been much debate about whether oil drilling should be permitted along America’s coastlines by the federal government. Your opponent has been critical of allowing such drilling. Where do you stand on this issue?

Lawson: As a nation, our states should be free to utilize our natural resources including oil and gas deposits off our coastlines. Federal restrictions on such drilling are not justified by our Constitution. At the same time, our federal government must not provide corporate welfare to companies who would harvest these resources. While the federal government should not prevent such drilling, it should not subsidize it either.

LM: You seem to echo Ron Paul on the issues. In fact he endorsed you in your primary race which you won quite convincingly. Are there any areas where you and Ron Paul disagree?

Lawson: I’ve not yet found any significant disagreements with Dr. Paul, but am sure with further conversation we’d find something. For example, based upon reading and discussions I am in agreement with Rep. Paul concerning the scope of the problems facing our country. However, we’ve not sat down and discussed potential solutions in enough depth to know if I’m in full agreement regarding how we might address these challenges.

LM: The recent fall from grace of Eliot Spitzer in New York has renewed the debate about so called “victim-less” crimes like prostitution. The other commonly labeled victim-less crime is drug possession. Ron Paul has called for an end to the drug war and releasing all non-violent drug offenders from prison. What are your thoughts on the war on drugs and victim-less crimes?

Lawson: The federal war on drugs is unconstitutional, and must be ended. Regulations concerning drug use and other so-called “victimless crimes” are not the domain of the federal government. The war on drugs is particularly objectionable, as it disproportionately targets the impoverished and disadvantaged and has given us the highest per capita incarceration rate in the world.

As a student of medicine, I find it inconceivable that we criminalize certain substances instead of recognizing nonviolent addiction as a medical problem. Today, we can’t build prisons fast enough and have prisoners who are threats to society being released without serving their full terms. We should reserve our prisons for those who are a threat to others.

As a student of history, I am encouraged that we eventually repealed alcohol prohibition since it simply did not work. It’s time to recognize that today’s drug war is simply yesterday’s prohibition.

This ends the first interview segment. Check back soon for part two. While you are waiting head on over the Lawson money bomb site, pledge, and don’t forget to donate on June 29th.

Here is part two of the Lawson interview.

I support Bob Barr because I believe in human liberty. It seems to me that if one truly believes in liberty then they should also believe in personal redemption. How can one believe in individual liberty but not accept Bob Barr’s own denouncement of his anti-liberty votes? Many of the Ron Paul faithful complained at the seemingly conspiratorial media attacks against Paul during his campaign. Now some of those very same Ron Paul supporters are attacking Barr in a similar fashion. The attacks on Bob Barr have now reached the trite stage. So trite, in fact, that they can be made into a list. Below is the countdown with the lowdown.

7. Bob Barr can’t be trusted because he’s not been a Libertarian long enough.

Barr joined the Libertarian Party in 2006. He has held libertarian beliefs prior to joining the party. In 2004, two years prior to joining the Libertarian Party he publicly and officially endorsed Libertarian Candidate Michael Badnarik for President. He was called a “libertarian” due to his criticisms of George W. Bush’s Iraq war policies and violations of civil liberties beginning in 2003. It seems that Ron Paul and Bob Barr crossed paths in the night. Paul went back to the Republican Party after his brief stint as the Libertarian Presidential nominee in 1988 (although he remains a party member). Bob Barr left the Republican Party because it left him.

6. Bob Barr is a Neocon.

Maybe in the mid-nineties this was marginally true. Today he is everything a neo-conservative is not. Would a neo-conservative advocate bringing our troops home from Iraq as quickly and safely as possible? Would a neo-conservative advocate bringing our troops home that are currently stationed in South Korea, Europe, and Japan? Would a neo-conservative be calling for switching to a non-interventionist foreign policy? Neocon Schmeocon. If Bob Barr is a neocon then Ron Paul is a neocon.

5. Bob Barr is Ex CIA.

No one has been able to convince me that this is a bad thing. The argument that just because Barr worked for the CIA makes him untrustworthy is nothing more than conspiratorial horse hockey. You can say you don’t trust him because he voted for some bad laws in his past, but trying to argue that he’s untrustworthy because he used to work for the CIA only strengthens your opponent’s argument. In doing this you are generalizing to the highest degree. You are thinking of people in groups rather than individuals. Looking beyond this “groupthink” one should realize that being a former CIA employee is a great thing to have on the resume when running for office. At least when viewed by the average voter.

4. Bob Barr voted for the Iraq War Authorization.

I challenge you to think back at how you felt in the days and months following the September 11th attacks. If you were in Congress and were presented with reasonable and logical evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was intent on using them against the United States how would you have voted? Unless you are a Ron Paul I suspect you would have gone along with the majority who voted for it. Now that we have the benefit of hindsight rather than the patriotic tunnel vision we had during that time it is easy to be against the war. If you were against it back then you were a true iconoclast. At least Bob Barr has publicly denounced his vote and owned up to the mistake rather than obfuscate with political rhetoric. Who better to spread the liberty message than someone who echoed the voice of the majority of Americans at that time, but then formed a new opinion as the Iraq war moved forward year after year? The general public has taken this same journey towards liberty along with Bob Barr.

3. Bob Barr Is/Was A Drug Warrior.

Many Barr critics don’t seem to understand the difference between ‘was’ and ‘is’. Yes, Barr was a major leader supporting the war on drugs in the 90’s. I wore day glow green, yellow, and orange shirts in the 90’s. I realized the error of my ways and modified my wardrobe, eventually. Why is it so unacceptable to some that Bob Barr has realized the error of his drug warrior past? He openly and passionately campaigns for the decriminalization of marijuana. He is active with the Marijuana Policy Project and is endorsed by its founder Rob Kampia. If Bob Barr’s drug war transformation is sincere enough for an activist working every day to minimize the impact of cannabis why is it not good enough for some?

2. Bob Barr is no Ron Paul.

No one is Ron Paul except Ron Paul. No politician has the unblemished 30+ year record fighting for liberty like him. It is unfair and unwise to measure every candidate with the Ron Paul yard stick. There is a plus side to Bob Barr not being another Ron Paul. Bob Barr is trusted by conservatives who would never have considered voting for Ron Paul. Bob Barr gives these voters an open window to climb through into the liberty house. For example, radio and TV host Glenn Beck never once said he would consider voting for Ron Paul even though he calls himself a libertarian on some issues. Beck has said more than once that he is considering voting for Barr. He even suggests Barr as a viable option to his guests when the election topic comes up. What baffles me is that Barr has the same foreign policy positions as Ron Paul yet the reason Beck claims he could never vote for Paul is due to foreign policy. Logical or not, Bob Barr could potentially bring in more conservative votes than even Ron Paul himself.

1. Bob Barr voted for the Patriot Act.

This is by far the most common criticism of Bob Barr, yet it is thrown around as a black vs. white criticism when the truth lies in the details. Bob Barr voted for the Patriot Act so he could put a sunset clause in it to force it to expire every 5 years. This clause requires that the Act pass a legislative vote to continue. If Barr did not vote for the Patriot Act his sunset clause would likely not exist. It would be permanent. It was going to pass with or without Barr’s vote so Barr’s strategic decision was to vote for it so he could shape it by adding the sunset provision. This is Bob Barr jumping on the grenade to save liberty. He testified against the Patriot Act in 2005 when it came up for renewal. He has spoken out against it in just about every interview since its passage. Yes, Barr voted for the Patriot Act, but there is more to the story than just the vote.

Bob Barr is not the evil-doer some make him out to be. He’s a human being who made some mistakes and is trying to reconcile them. As a liberty loving American I think he deserves a chance.

Public Service Announcement: Take a moment and donate/pledge some money in the name of liberty to one of the following projects: Bob Barr Money Bomb, Ron Paul’s Campaign For Liberty, and Ron Paul Republican B.J. Lawson’s Money Bomb on June 29th.